Chemical Peel Vs. Laser Peel - Which is Better for Fine Lines, Sun Damage?

As a general rule, the deeper the skin is peeled: 1. The more dramatic the improvement in wrinkling 2. The longer the healing period 3. The greater the risk of scarring or irregular pigmentation after the peel. For pigment and fine wrinkling, a superficial papillary dermal peel should be appropriate. Experienced physicians can accomplish a such a peel predictably with either chemicals such as TCA or perhaps Hetter's very light solution, or with an Erbium:YAG laser. The tool that does the... more

Many doctors will argue the relative merits of chemical peel vs laser peel. They both work, the question really is safety, reliability, and uniformity of results.   Chemical peel involves guess work. The doctor applies a chemical solution and has to guess how deep it goes. If it does not go deep enough, then the result will not be what you want. If the peel goes too deep, you may be scarred.   Laser peels are predictable. The laser can be accurately set to go a certain depth to... more

Some patients will want a light chemical peel to prep their skin a month prior to a laser. The mild peel can help with sun damage, pore size, and fine lines, but does not produce new collagen. This is a great way to work on "fresh skin" and already have some of the older, damaged skin peeled off. The Cutera Pearl Resurfacing Laser is a great treatment to take care of all of your skin concerns.

Medium depth chemical peels create peeling for 5 to 7 days. They do help with photodamage but are less helpful with fine lines than some laser treatments which can also take one week to heal.